Eileen Gu Is Back and Better Than Ever

Mackay moved on to go up against Luke Harrold in the finals, slotting Gus Kenworthy into a third-place spot. The Snow League marked Kenworthy's big return to competitive freeskiing after four years away, and the run he put down proved he hasn't lost a beat.

After winning his first finals run, 17-year-old Luke Harrold tossed out a switch left alley oop double 1260 mute and a left double 1620 safety, finishing his run with a right double 1260 mute, which earned him an 88.5.

Following Harrold's performance, Mackay dropped into the pipe with a switch left alley-oop double 900 critical, switch left double 1080 double Japan, left alley oop flat spin 540 mute, before matching Harrold's final tricks with a left double 1620 safety into a right double 1260 safety. A tiebreaker round sealed Harrold's second-place fate when he washed out, sending Mackay into first.

Eileen Gu Dominates—Women's Recap

The women's freeski lineup started just as stacked as the men's. Svea Irving took on Rachael Karker, Fanghui Li went up against Amy Fraser, and Eileen Gu went head-to-head with Cassie Sharpe. Zoe Atkin was unable to compete due to illness, which automatically moved Kexin Zhang forward to semifinals.

In the semifinals round, Zhang beat out Svea Irving with a score of 69.75. Eileen Gu won each round of the competition definitively, scoring a 90.00 in the quarterfinal against Cassie Sharpe. Gu went on to advance past Fanghui Li in the semifinals, before taking on Kexin Zhang in the finals. Li and Irving battled it out for third place, which Li took, putting Irving in 4th place.

Gu, who is also an ambassador for the Snow League, was able to put down two brand new competition runs after a year away from competition in halfpipe.

Unsurprisingly, she took the top podium spot with a left tail 900, right 720 reverse tail, switch left 720 japan, right 900 Buick, and a right alley oop flat spin 540 critical, before finishing her run with a left alley oop mute.

Gu, Zhang, and Li in the top three spots gave China a historic podium sweep for the first time ever in halfpipe skiing.

Both Gu and Mackay will receive a $50,000 prize purse and part of the total $250,000 freeski prize. Their wins at the first freeski event of the season also put them both in the top spot for points in the Snow League, with 100 points each. Second-place finishers Kexin Zhang and Luke Harrold both received 85 points, and third-place finishers Kenworthy and Li were awarded 72 points.

All 52 competitors in both freeski and snowboard at the Snow League receive an appearance fee of $5,000, regardless of final score. The next Snow League freeski event will take place in LAAX, Switzerland, from March 19-21, 2026.